Y/N's POV
"Are you doing anything tonight? Want to call later?" Angelina asked from her car window following me on my walk home.
"No, not really," I said, kicking at a loose pebble on the sidewalk. "I'm kinda grounded. Got home late too many times, so I'm stuck at home."
"Okay, so, 8:00 p.m. call?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll call if they even let me near my phone," I replied, half-laughing.
"All good. I get it. See you tomorrow if you don't call."
"Yeah, bye-bye." I gave a grandma wave, before turning the corner away from my school.
Walking home was supposed to be my "punishment"—a way to reflect on my actions, as Papa put it. No headphones, no music, just me and the quiet streets.
A soft scuff behind me made me pause. I glanced over my shoulder. Nothing. Just empty sidewalks and the faint rustle of leaves. Shaking my head, I turned back, forcing myself to keep moving.
But then I heard it again—footsteps, quick and purposeful. Before I could react, a shadow moved in my peripheral vision. Then something cold pressed against my neck—a sharp prick of pain.
"No!" I gasped, the realisation hitting me too late.
My vision blurred, the edges darkening.
"Easy now," one of them whispered, their voice distant, like it was coming through water.
I tried to move, to fight, but my body wasn't listening. The world tilted, spinning out of control. I fell, my knees hitting the ground hard.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
—----------------------
"How long do we have to sit here for?" The male voice, impatient and edgy, cut through the muffled haze in my head.
"I don't know, until she wakes up," the female voice snapped back, exasperation lacing every word.
"And then what do we do?"
I strained to keep my breathing even as the world came back into focus. My body was heavy, limbs numb from whatever drug they'd used on me. I tried to move my hands, but they were tightly bound. My feet were secured too, and I could feel the rough texture of a wooden chair pressing against my back. Blindfolded and tied up. Shit. I'd been kidnapped.
"I don't know, genius! You were at the meeting. You're supposed to be listening, so you tell me."
"Excuse me? You were at that meeting too. You were supposed to be listening, smartass."
"Just... just sit here and wait. She'll wake up soon."
"Stop telling me what to do. I know what I'm fucking doing."
"Clearly," the male sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The hell are you asking all these questions for, then?"
I could hear their voices moving closer, their footsteps echoing around me. I forced myself to stay still, listening. There was no point in giving away that I was awake.
"I think she's awake," the girl muttered.
"Well, go check."
The blindfold was pulled roughly from my eyes, and I blinked against the sudden light
When my vision cleared, I saw them—a boy and a girl, maybe two years older than me, trying far too hard to look menacing. They stood awkwardly, as if they'd been cast in roles they didn't know how to play.
